Friday, June 24, 2016

Join Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, The Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the South Boston Neighborhood House this summer for a day – or days - of healthy outdoor activities and youth environmental education and enrichment programs on the cleanest urban beach in the nation!

Who: This free program is open to youth development and community groups serving kids of all ages. However, some activities such as aquatics, kayak and standup paddle board
instruction have age restrictions and require reservations
and waiver forms signed by a parent or guardian.

What: Boston Harbor Explorers @ DCR’s Carson Beach is a free program that offers youth development and community groups the chance to enjoy a free field trip to the beach. Onsite activities include fishing, clamming, and environmental exploration, soccer, volleyball, and kite flying, storytelling by the sea, and art on the shore. We also offer paddle board, kayak and swimming and aquatic safety instruction, as well as activities that strengthen STEM skills and teach young people about Boston Harbor, the tide and the marine environment.

When & Where: Boston Harbor Explorers @ DCR’s Carson Beach runs Monday – Friday from 9:30 – 3:00 at the Edward J. McCormack Bathhouse at Carson Beach on Day Boulevard in South Boston from July 5 to August 26, 2016.

How: If your organization would like to take part in Boston Harbor Explorers @ DCR’s Carson Beach this summer, please contact our Site Supervisor Bridget McGrath by email at bmcgrath@sbnh.org or on her cell at 1.617.755.8928. Free lunch is available on site.

There are lots of great things to do on the beach every day. However, some activities such as aquatics, kayak and standup paddle board instruction are not available everyday, and are available on a first come first served basis, have age restrictions and require reservations and waiver forms signed by a parent or guardian. Download July's calendar.Download August's calendar.

Free Kayak Instruction is available on Thursdays and Fridays. To make reservations please contact our Site Supervisor Bridget McGrath by email at bmcgrath@sbnh.org or by phone at 1.617.755.8928.Download the Kayak waiver

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the Department
of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) awarded more than $215,000 in Better
Beaches Program Grants to support over 80 free beach events and activities on
the Boston Harbor region’s public beaches in a ceremony on Boston’s Fish Pier on
Saturday, June 11th, 2016.

This
year’s Better Beaches Program Grants will fund concerts and sand
sculpting competitions, beach festivals, movie nights, free paddleboard, kayak
and swimming lessons, storytelling by the sea and art on the shore on public
beaches from Nahant to Nantasket.

More than 600 kids took part in the Kids Beach Bash & Splash at DCR’s Carson
Beach in South Boston in 2015. This year’s Better Beaches Program Grants will
support expanded free programs for kids and families on beaches from Nahant to
Nantasket this summer.

Funds for the Better Beaches Program include the
proceeds of the Harpoon Helps Shamrock
Splash and a legislative appropriation made to DCR to support summer
programming on the region’s public beaches, as recommended by the Metropolitan Beaches Commission.

In 2015, Save the Harbor and
DCR awarded grants to 35 organizations in nine waterfront neighborhoods and
beachfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket. Last year Better Beaches
Program grants leveraged nearly $650,000 in cash and in-kind support from local
businesses and local government, including over 8,500 volunteer hours that
supported the 70 free beach events and programs. More than 500,000 people
attended Better Beaches Program events in 2015.

“It’s a great investment and
a terrific partnership,” said Save the Harbor’s spokesman Bruce Berman. “The
Commonwealth appropriated $190,000 this year and we are giving away more than
$215,000 to support another spectacular summer of free events ad activities on
these great urban beaches.”

“All of these great events
have one thing in common,” said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s President
Patty Foley. “They bring people together to strengthen their communities
and enjoy our region's most stunning natural resources, the 19 miles of DCR’s
public swimming beaches that connect us to each other and to Boston Harbor,
Mass Bay and Broad Sound.”

“The Department of
Conservation and Recreation looks forward to working with Save the Harbor to
deliver another summer full of fun, free events and programs at our beautiful
public beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy,” said DCR
Commissioner Leo Roy. “The Baker-Polito Administration remains committed to
fostering such partnerships to protect, promote, and enhance our state’s
resources for generations to come.”

“At public hearings
from Nahant to Nantasket we heard how important free events and programs are to
the region’s residents, who really love our beaches,” said Representative
RoseLee Vincent, Co-Chair Metropolitan Beaches Commission, Revere and Saugus.
“Thanks to Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and DCR for working together to
strengthen our beachfront communities and waterfront neighborhoods.”

"Our waterfront and our
beaches are remarkable assets with the power to connect our communities. We
have heard again and again how modest investments in free events and programs
have put these beaches to work and have provided expanded opportunities for
residents, businesses and tourists," said Senator Thomas M. McGee,
Co-Chair Metropolitan Beaches Commission, Lynn and Nahant.

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From left to
right: Representative Dan Hunt of Dorchester, Metropolitan Beaches Commissioner
Barbra Bishop, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Board Chair Joseph P. Newman,
President of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Patricia A. Foley, Metropolitan
Beaches Commissioner Paul Nutting (back), Metropolitan Beaches Commissioner and
Director of Mass Parks Operations for the Department of Conservation and
Recreation Samantha Overton, Director of Strategy, Communications and Programs
for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Bruce Berman, Metropolitan Beaches Commission
Co-Chair Representative RoseLee Vincent, Senator John Keenan of Quincy (back),
and Metropolitan Beaches Commissioner Carol Haney presented Samantha Overton
with an award for her service and commitment to urban beaches and our communities on Saturday.

“As
an urban mom I know just how important these urban beaches and parks are to the
region’s kids and families,” said DCR’s Director of Mass Parks Operations
and Metropolitan Beaches Commissioner Samantha Overton, who received an
award from Save the Harbor and the Metropolitan Beaches Commission at the
ceremony. “I’m proud of DCRs partnership with Save the Harbor and the
Metropolitan Beaches Commission. My family and I really love these beaches.”

Better Beaches Program Grants ranged from $500 - $20,000, with a typical
grant of $3,500. This year’s programs include concert series, sand- sculpting
competitions, campfires, art festivals, neighborhood beach parties, and family
reading and movie nights on the beach, art on the shore and storytelling by the
sea.

Save the Harbor would like to
thank our foundation funding partners The
Boston Foundation, the Richard
Saltonstall Charitable Foundation, the Harold
Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust, and Mass Humanities, our corporate sponsors Harpoon, JetBlue, Comcast and National Grid and the hundreds of
participants and donors to the Harpoon
Shamrock Splash for their support.

We would also like to thank Metropolitan Beaches Commission
Co-Chairs Senator Tom McGee and Representative RoseLee Vincent and the
legislative and community members of the Commission, the Baker-Polito Administration and our partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation
for making this great program possible.

Friday, June 10, 2016

June 8, 2016, Just Off
Boston Light: On Wednesday evening, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay hosted a
sunset cruise to the oldest manned lighthouse in America as they celebrated 490
Years of Anniversaries at Boston Light on Bay State Cruise Company’s flagship, Provincetown
II.

378 people were
onboard for the celebration, which took place on a beautiful summer evening
despite predicted squalls and storms.

“Save the Harbor/Save the Bay was founded in 1986, so it’s
our 30th Anniversary this year,” said Save the Harbor’s spokesman
Bruce Berman, who was married 16 years ago to Save the Harbor's President Patty Foley just off Boston Light. “So rather
than celebrate alone, we chose to honor our federal, state and non profit
partners whose support has been so important to our success to join us, many of
whom are also celebrating milestones this year.”

2016 marks the 300th Anniversary of Boston Light, the National Park Service’s Centennial,
the 30th Anniversary of Cruiseport Boston, the 20th Anniversary of
the creation of the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park, and the
creation of a new group, Boston Harbor Now.

“Coast Guard Sector
Boston along with our other port partners was honored to join Save the
Harbor/Save the Bay on Provincetown II to celebrate a summer of anniversaries,”
said U.S. Coast Guard Sector Boston Commander Captain Claudia Gelzer. “It
was a beautiful night to witnesses Boston Light and the Harbor Islands, and a
good time was had by all.”

"This sunset cruise
was an incredible way for our partners to launch the 20th
Anniversary of the Boston Harbor Islands as a State and National Park,” said NPS
Superintendent Giles Parker. Save the Harbor and all our partners on board
are looking forward to connecting with the next generation of island explorers
and harbor stewards this summer and into the fall.”

Boston Light Keeper Sally Snowman narrated the
cruise, and shared stories of her life on Little Brewster Island. Hear more about Boston Light from Sally at on YouTube

Save the Harbor’s Song Leader David Coffin sang "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning" while Save the Harbor’s storyteller Norah Dooley shared stories from
Boston Harbor’s past as the Pirate Mary Read. Listen to David's song on YouTube or visit his website at www.davidcoffin.com Norah's website at www.norahdooley.com/

Bestselling author Eric Jay Dolin signed copies of
his new book “Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American Lighthouse”,
while photographer Jeremy D’Entremont signed prints and posters of
his stunning photographs of Boston Light. Visit Eric's website at www.ericjaydolin.com and Jeremy's website at http://www.newenglandlighthouses.net/

“This cruise brought
together a wonderful collection of great people to celebrate the harbor and all
the organizations who work so hard to support it,” said Kathy Abbott of Boston
Harbor Now.

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“Its great to be back on
the Harbor.”

That sentiment was
shared by Michael Glassfeld and Julie Pagano of Bay State Cruise Company, which
hosted the celebration on board their flagship Provincetown II. “Kudos to Save
the Harbor/Save the Bay for bringing all these great people together. We are
really looking forward to working with Save the Harbor to bring 10,000 kids to
the islands this year as partners in their free All Access Boston Harbor
program.”

“It is going to be a
terrific summer on Boston Harbor, the beaches and the Harbor Islands” said Save
the Harbor’s President Patricia Foley. “We look forward to celebrating our 30th
Anniversary all summer long, as we connect 30,000 young people and their
families to Boston Harbor with 30 free island trips and scores of free events
and celebrations on the region’s public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket. We
hope to see you all on the harbor soon!”

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is a non-profit
public-interest Boston Harbor environmental advocacy organization whose mission
is to restore and protect Boston Harbor, the Boston Harbor Islands, our
region’s public beaches and the marine environment and share them with the
public for everyone to enjoy.

For more information about Save the Harbor’s free 30th
Anniversary events and activities, visit “Sea, Sand & Sky” at www.blog.savetheharbor.org or
follow savetheharbor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

As Save the Harbor celebrates our 30th Anniversary this year, our free Youth
Environmental Education Programs will connect 30,000 underserved and low-income youth and teens to Boston Harbor,
the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park, and the region’s public
beaches from Nahant to Nantasket.

This summer, Save the Harbor will run 30 free All Access Boston Harbor trips
to Spectacle and Georges Island in the Boston Harbor Islands National Park, with activities such as fishing, clamming, swimming, healthy outdoor activities, beach walks, storytelling and Arts on the Shore.

We will also offer our Boston Harbor Explorers programat
30 Better Beaches Program events on the region’s public beaches from Nahant
to Nantasket and at 8 program sites during the summer of 2016. Program sites
will include Courageous Sailing in Charlestown, Piers Park Sailing Center in
East Boston, Community Boating on the Charles River, Camp Harbor View on Long
Island, Black’s Creek in Quincy, the Boston Children’s Museum on the Fort Point
Channel, the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion in South Boston and our newest program
site at the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Carson Beach in
South Boston, which we helped transform into the cleanest urban beach in the
nation.

We will also transform our
pilot Boston Harbor Explorersprogram at Carson Beach into a
permanent anchor site, serving youth and teens from South Boston and all of Boston’s
neighborhoods and from the youth development and community groups that take
part in our All Access Boston Harbor
excursions.

The Boston Harbor Explorers program at DCR’s Carson Beach will offer
5,000 youth and teens an opportunity to engage in an environmental education
curriculum with environmental exploration, healthy outdoor activities and other
youth enrichment opportunities that include free swimming, SUP and kayaking
lessons, fishing and clamming, storytelling, archaeology and Arts on the Shore
on the nation’s cleanest urban beach.

This year, we will also employ
a fantastic youth program staff of 36, which will include 10 lead staff and senior
harbor educators, 5 college assistants and interns, and 21 inner city high
school students who will serve as Junior Program Assistants, to help run our
free Youth Environmental Education
Programs.

Save the Harbor is also
excited to announce that we will once again be working with educator and
storyteller Norah Dooley to lead
storytelling workshops with our staff and perform at youth and beach events. We
will also bring back noted beach artist Andres
Amador to run public sand raking workshops and teach our staff to create
dramatic public art on the region’s public beaches.

We are looking forward to the
start of our summer programs and know you are too – we hope to see you out
on the harbor, beaches and islands for storytelling, Art in the Sand, marine
exploration, healthy outdoor activities, swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking
and more!

The Metropolitan Beaches Commission held a regional public hearing on the state of the Metropolitan Region’s public beaches in Revere, Winthrop and East Boston on Tuesday evening, June 7th from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm at the Jack Satter House, 420 Revere Beach Boulevard in Revere.

Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chair Senator Thomas McGee of Lynn, who has served on the Commission since its inception in 2007 and Co-Chair RoseLee Vincent of Revere hosted the hearing, where more than 60 residents of Revere, Winthrop and East Boston shared their thoughts about how to improve their beaches.

MBC Commissioners State Rep. Adrian Madaro of East Boston, State Rep Brendan Crighton of Lynn, Robert Tucker of Lynn, Barbara Bishop of Winthrop, Kathi-Anne Reinstein of Revere, Doug Gutro of Quincy, Mounzer Aylouche of Swampscott, and Senator Joseph Boncore of Winthrop were on hand to hear frothe public and sharetheir thoughts as well.

“These public hearings give the region’s residents an opportunity to share their ideas about how to continue to improve our region’s public beaches, and give the Commission and the Department of Conservation and Recreation the chance to assess where we are today and where we hope to go in the future” said Commission Co-Chair Senator Tom McGee of Lynn. “Working together, I am confident that we can protect what we have accomplished and help move these beaches from good to great.”

“We’ve made great progress on these beaches for all the region’s families,” said Commission Co-Chair Representative RoseLee Vincent of Revere. “They have truly benefited from the investments we have made in our beaches and it’s important that we don’t lose the gains we have made.”

“In the past, Metropolitan Beaches Commission hearings have resulted in important investments which have helped make Constitution Beach a terrific asset for our community” said Rep. Adrian Madaro, who serves as the MBC Commissioner from East Boston. “I look forward to hearing from residents about how we can work together to make our beaches even better.”

“It has taken years of effort to change public perception and improve these beaches,” said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay board member David Spillane of Goody Clancy, who has served as a lead consultant to the Commission since its inception. “However, we could lose this progress in short order if the resources and commitment aren’t there to protect the progress we have made and build on our success.”

About the Metropolitan Beaches Commission
The Metropolitan Beaches Commission is comprised of elected officials and community, civic, nonprofit, and business leaders from Boston and the metropolitan region’s waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities.

The MBC was created in 2006 by the Massachusetts Legislature to take an in-depth look at the metropolitan region’s public beaches in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull that are managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The Commission reconvened in 2013 to examine the impacts of the reforms and recommendations made in its first report “Beaches We Can Be Proud Of” and issued additional findings and recommendations to better leverage these resources for residents in the future in their 2014 report “Waves of Change”. Today the MBC is a permanent Commission, which reports annually to the House and the Senate.

For more information about the MBC and its history and accomplishments, or to download copies of the Commission’s 2007 and 2014 reports, visit www.savetheharbor.org/MBC

For more information about the Metropolitan Beaches Commission or the hearing please contact Bruce Berman on his cell at 617-293-6243 or by email to bruce@bostonharbor.com

Early this month Save the Harbor/Save the Bay celebrated our 30th Anniversary Year with a sunset cruise to Boston Light. As we looked back toward the city with our public, private and non-profit partners and friends and supporters, we couldn’t help but think back on all we have accomplished together since 1986, and all that’s left for us to do.

We are proud of our role as the region’s leading voice for clean water and continued investment in Boston Harbor, our region’s public beaches, and beachfront communities and waterfront neighborhoods from Nahant to Nantasket. Working together we have transformed Boston Harbor from a liability into a source of opportunity and pride for Bostonians and the region’s residents.

Today South Boston is home to the cleanest urban beaches in America, which were safe for swimming every day in 2015, when frequent storms forced other area beaches to close. The Boston Harbor Islands have become educational and recreational resources for a generation of young people. Boston’s renewed waterfront and the region’s public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket are emerging as destinations for residents and visitors alike.

However, there is still much more work to do to restore and protect Boston Harbor, the beaches, our waterfront and the Boston Harbor Islands and share them with all the region’s families.

I am writing to you today because we need your help and support to do it.

The first thing we need to do this year is to keep our commitment to clean water by working with the Baker-Polito Administration, our Beaches Science Advisory Committee and local officials to produce site-specific plans to address the ongoing pollution problems at King’s Beach in Lynn and Swampscott and Tenean Beach in Dorchester as we did in South Boston. Last summer these two beaches were closed once every four days, an unacceptable situation which we intend to address.

The second is to expand our free youth and beach programs, which have made Save the Harbor the Boston Harbor Connection for 130,000 young people and their families since we began them in 2002.

With your support, in 2016 we will offer 30 free All Access Boston Harbor trips to the Boston Harbor Islands for underserved youth and teens from more than 100 youth development and community groups in 40 communities. We will also host free environmental education and enrichment programs at 30 Better Beaches Program events, and at 8 program sites including our new Boston Harbor Explorers Program @ DCR’s Carson Beach in South Boston, which we helped make the cleanest urban beach in the nation.

Your support will allow us to make our Carson Beach pilot program a permanent anchor site for our Boston Harbor Explorers program, offering thousands of young participants an opportunity to engage in an environmental education curriculum with environmental exploration, healthy outdoor activities and other youth enrichment opportunities that include free swimming, paddle boarding and kayaking lessons, fishing and clamming, storytelling, archaeology and art on the shore.

With your help, we hope to raise $30,000 this summer, so that we can expand our youth environmental education and enrichment programs to serve more than 30,000 youth and teens in 2016.

I know that you care about our community, that you love Boston Harbor, the waterfront, the harbor islands and our region's public beaches. I also know that you understand and value the work we have done and the work we intend to do.

Your contribution of $30, $300, $3,000, or whatever you can afford to give, will help us continue our work to restore and protect these spectacular urban natural resources and share them with the public, for everyone to enjoy. Its easy to make a contribution today on our website at www.savetheharbor.org

Thanks in advance for your support. It means the world to us and to the region’s underserved youth, teens and families, who all deserve clean beaches they can call their own.

Sincerely,

Patricia A. Foley

President

P.S. There will be lots of opportunities to celebrate our 30th Anniversary with us this summer. To find out more, read our Boston Harbor Blog “Sea, Sand & Sky” at www.blog.savetheharbor.org, join savetheharbor and bostonharbor on Facebook and follow @savetheharbor on Twitter and #savetheharbor on Instagram.

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

My name is Hannah Lynn and I’m interning at Save the Harbor
for the summer of 2016! I am a rising senior at Boston College where I study
environmental geoscience. I grew up in Marblehead, MA and spent my entire life
around boats and beaches, so I have a strong passion for the ocean,
particularly around Boston Harbor and the North Shore. Studying geoscience has
given me an in-depth understanding of the chemical and physical processes that
govern the ocean and the environment, so I hope this internship will give me
more insight into the policy behind the issues.

As a member of the BC sailing team, I spend as much time out
on Dorchester Bay as I do in class, and every day it furthers my appreciation
for the unbelievable natural resources we have here in Boston. I have also
spent the past few summers coaching sailing at Pleon Yacht Club in Marblehead, where
I myself learned to sail. More recently, I was elected president of the New
England Intercollegiate Sailing Association, and I represent the New England
conference in the national governing body of collegiate sailing.

Aside from sailing, I love skiing, hiking, and all things
outdoors. I am so excited to be a part of the Save the Harbor team this summer
and contribute to all the great things happening here!

Search This Blog

Welcome!

Save the Harbor/Save the Bayis a non-profit public-interest Boston Harbor environmental advocacy organization whose mission is to restore and protect Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, the Boston Harbor Islands, the Boston Harbor region's public beaches, Boston's waterfront and the marine environment and share them with the public, for everyone to enjoy.

Since 1986, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay has been the driving force behind the transformation of Boston Harbor from one of the dirtiest urban harbors in America to one of the cleanest in the world.

As a result of our advocacy, Boston Harbor has been transformed from a "Harbor of Shame" into a source of recreational, educational and economic opportunity and civic pride. Today the beaches of South Boston are among the cleanest urban beaches in the nation, the Boston Harbor Islands are a National Park, and Boston's waterfront has become a compelling destination for residents and visitors alike.

Working with a broad base of civic, corporate, government, scientific, philanthropic and community partners, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay continues to strengthen the connections between communities and the harbor, and promote the increasingly important impact Boston Harbor has on the region’s economy.

Each year Save the Harbor / Save the Bay runs 2 freeYouth Environmental Education Programs that combine recreation and hands-on education to bring Boston Harbor alive for thousands of Boston area young people. Since 2003, we have connected nearly 250,000 youth and teens to Boston Harbor, the Boston Harbor Islands, our region's public beaches and Boston's waterfront.

Our "Boston Harbor Explorers" program serves thousands of young people at the Courageous Sailing Center in Charlestown, the Piers Park Sailing Center and Constitution Beach in East Boston, DCR's Carson Beach in South Boston, at Community Boating on the Charles River, on Black's Creek in Quincy, and at Camp Harbor View on Long Island and at The Boston Children's Museum.Our"All Access Boston Harbor"program departs weekdays from the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion in South Boston, and brings thousands of youth and teens from more than 100 community groups to Georges or Spectacle Island in the Boston Harbor Islands National Park on the Provincetown II.

OurBetter Beaches Program supports dozens of free events and activities on the region's public beaches each year in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull.

We hope we can count on you as we share Boston Harbor with 30,000 young people on 28 free island excursions and at 40 free events and programs on the region's public beaches in 2018.For more information about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay please visit our website at www.savetheharbor.org